1. Field
The invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a computer program for the determination of the sympathetic activity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stress activates the sympathetic branch of the autonomous nervous system, i.e. the higher the stress, the higher the activity state of the sympathetic nervous system. The activity state of the sympathetic nervous system may be determined by measuring the muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) of a person. MSNA can be measured reliably with a microelectrode from a peroneus nerve. This measurement is the gold standard for the sympathetic activity. The measurement can only be made invasively and in laboratory conditions, which makes it practically unsuitable for a normal person interested in exercise. Furthermore, only a few selected laboratories are capable of performing the measurement, making it practically unsuitable even for the monitoring of the day-to-day sympathetic activity of elite athletes.